Harry Potter and Downton Abbey actress Maggie Smith has died at the age of 89. During her highly respected career, the star led a difficult battle against illness in 2007. Indeed, she had participated in the filming of the film “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (2009) while she was following a chemotherapy treatment.
Actress Maggie Smith died at the age of 89 on Friday. Highly appreciated and respected in the world of cinema, the one who played Minerva McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” saga leaves a big void behind her. If the general public knows her mainly for this role as well as that of Lady Violet in the television series Downton Abbey, she was also known for her fight against illness. In 2007, while she was filming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the star was undergoing chemotherapy.
It’s so exhausting.
At the age of 73, Maggie Smith was diagnosed with breast cancer. During an interview with the English weekly The Times, the actress shared the difficulties of filming the sixth part of Harry Potter. “It’s so exhausting. This illness cuts your wings, and I don’t know what the future holds for me, or even if it holds anything for me.” she confided in 2009. The treatment even caused him to lose his hair. “I was bald. I didn’t mind wearing a wig. I had an egg head!“, she joked.
After two years of treatment, Maggie Smith won her fight against breast cancer. However, in her interview with The Times, she expressed her doubt about her future on stage. “I’m not sure I could do theater again, even if filming a film is more tiring. I’m afraid to go back on stage today. I seriously lack self-confidence. It’s been a while since I last performed in the theater“, she admitted. However, in 2019, against all expectations, she made her comeback on stage.
Death of Maggie Smith Harry Potter saga
